Funded by the European Regional Development Fund ( ERDF ) and delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice , MGP was launched in 2016 to create a targeted service to support manufacturing SMEs .
This focused on creating a team of Manufacturing Growth Managers who work with management teams on initially completing strategic business reviews .
From there , they provide grant funding and signposting services to specialists that deliver improvement projects in strategic planning , productivity and process improvement , competitiveness , innovation and leadership and management .
Nearly a third of firms so far have chosen to tap into marketing and market knowledge support , followed by a quarter choosing help to improve productivity and 14 % wanting assistance with continuous improvement .
Jane Galsworthy , Managing Director of Oxford Innovation Advice , commented : “ We are already helping with the ‘ levelling up agenda ’ by supporting small businesses in less developed areas to grow and have adapted our support model to meet evolving business needs .
There has been some massive strides forward in business support and we ’ ve seen first-hand how the right expertise can unlock the potential of some of our brightest SMEs .
“ These include continuing to boost productivity , helping firms work towards Net Zero , job creation , internationalisation and , increasingly , embracing digitalisation and Industry 4.0 .”
She concluded : “ There has been some massive strides forward in business support and we ’ ve seen first-hand how the right expertise can unlock the potential of some of our brightest SMEs . It would be foolish to throw that all away with the launch of UKSPF funding !”
For further information , please visit www . manufacturinggrowthprogramme . co . uk or www . oxfordinnovationadvice . co . uk . You can also follow @ mfggrowthp or @ oi _ advice on twitter
Dean Barnes & Jane Galsworthy
For further information , please visit www . manufacturinggrowthprogramme . co . uk | www . oxfordinnovationadvice . co . uk .
Issue 57 PECM 25